Adrian Murray

Adrian is a photographer and father based in Louisville, USA, who focuses on bringing out the light in life.

When did you first know you wanted to be a photographer?

I picked up the craft when I was in my first year of dental school in 2014. Since then photography has become a vital part of my life and my family’s life. I have known for a little over a year that I’ve wanted to pursue photography full time and recently (and I mean as in yesterday) took some time off from my doctorate studies to expand our lives within the world of photography and art.

How did your kids became your main photography subject ?

I started out photography a few years ago when we nearly lost my son due to some medical issues. We’re still battling those issues as it is. I gravitated towards taking images of my kids and wanted to have my own aesthetic twist on the imagery. I wanted to tell stories of what my kids enjoyed to do during their childhood. It’s one thing to take a million pictures of their faces, it’s another to give us a reminder of the things they love to do while growing up.

When it comes to taking photos, do you have more of a controlled/set-up or spontaneous style?

It all depends on the image. A lot of images I take are completely out of my control. Others are where I have an idea that is based off of my kids’ lives that I want to document them in a more aesthetic measure. This means taking care of the scene and then letting whatever happens happen. I present my kids with options to play with and then let the moments happen naturally. I think I would call it being a prepared opportunist.

How long did it take you to find your own style and is there precise moments that defined it?

This is a tricky question for any artist. Style is an evolving subject, ever changing and just as dynamic as our lives. If we concede that we do not know everything and that we are perpetually a student then our style will never remain stagnant. That being said, I still hold a very similar aesthetic since I do have a tendency to appreciate a more classical look when it comes to visual taste. I’m continually trying to grow myself in the world of art and find that every time I experiment with something I tend to incorporate that into my general style.

In terms of lenses, I would say that I enjoy many of different lenses and they each have their own signature marks on work created with them, however, I like to see them more as a tool to reach a certain style. I will say that my jump into Fuji cameras is a recent one and one that I would describe as a new turning point for myself. This is due to the fact that I was accustomed to shooting with a full frame camera which has a definitive depth of field. Where as on the fuji that aspect wasn’t really the same. This was something I was aware of before I bought into the system and I wanted to utilize the crop format for that very purpose, to alleviate my use of bokeh.

A crop frame camera allows me to let in more light while still achieving a greater depth of field. This in turn allows me to incorporate the background as a greater part of the image and obtain a more illustrative image.

Could you talk a bit about your post-processing workflow?

My processing techniques were developed with light and contrast in mind. Since there isn’t much you can do to correct composition in Lightroom (minus cropping), I decided to focus on bringing out the most in each image to become it’s best possible self. I know that I can’t work in layers with Lightroom but that doesn’t mean I can’t use multiple aspects of the software on a single image. There is subtlety in each image that you have to be aware of before going into retouching and it’s best to shoot for the post work you know you’ll do later. If you can envision your final product while you’re shooting or even better, before you shoot, then you’ll have an even better experience in front of the screen. Light plays a large role in my images so I like to make use of tools that bring out light as often as I can. After all, light is the root word of both photography and “Lightroom.”

What is your current gear like?Is there any piece of equipment you wish Fujifilm would announce soon?

I do have a couple of full frame camera setups but I’ll focus on what’s in my fuji-bag right now.

As for announcements, the most exciting thing that fujifilm is doing is their GFX system. My favorite camera body has been the X-T2 but I do enjoy the aesthetics that can come out of a larger sensor. Where they’re putting their Fujifilm magic on a medium format sensor all inside a body inspired by the X-T2…

What do you enjoy doing when not taking photos?

I enjoy cooking, hiking, going to the zoo with my kids, exploring the world with my family and whatever else we can come up with. Though I always try to keep a camera around me at all times so I can be prepared to capture these moments we have together.